Upstairs Downstair Reboot on PBS

The original Upstairs Downstairs was wildly popular, so it makes sense that it's being revisited. Last night the first episode of the reboot aired on PBS's Masterpiece program (and is available to watch online as well).
The first episode laid a lot of groundwork for things to come. In one hour they rather efficiently introduced a brand new set of characters (with the exception of the beloved Rose who now runs an employment agency for domestic workers). There were a few moments of humor and heartbreak, but over all, not a stunning episode. I look forward to seeing more plot and character development now that all the necessary exposition is out of the way.
Lady Percy, played by Claire Foy (of Little Dorrit) was hardly seen in this episode, but her struggles with her family's genteel poverty, adapting to her sister's new lifestyle, as well as her temper poise her to be an important character that will possibly serve as a catalyst to future plots.
It was a risk to try and reproduce a show that was so loved and so revolutionary. It was also a risk putting it in a Masterpiece season that just debuted the spectacular Downton Abbey-- another program that deals with the dynamic of aristocracy and their servants. Both Downton and Upstairs set their characters in a world on the verge of change, social and political conflicts challenge tradition and the way these characters view the world, especially in regards to class and position. Where they seem to diverge (so far) is that Downton is more rooted in family drama, where Upstairs seems to be going in a direction more focused on politics. All in all, worth the watching

The Bath Disaster

Enjoy this off topic post, it's been an exhausting few days.
I have not taken a bath at this apartment yet even though I've been here for a while. Baths are one of my favorite winter activities- sometimes they are the only way I can make my entire body feel warm at one time. However, the tub here is a little scary.
The menfolk have left it rather scummy and the bottom of the tub still has the remnants of stick--on daisy shaped pads to prevent slipping left by the last tenant. These have been covered by a prickly bath mat that seems to be the place where all hair collects.
Still, I was determined that today I was going to have a bath. The kind of bath that involves music and a book and my homemade eucalyptus bath salts. Something other than the third episode of Downton Abbey should be the highlight of my weekend for goodness' sake. Alas, it was not meant to be. After scrubbing the tub and using some foaming cleaner I found it the back of the cabinet (which I got on my hands and then had a two-minute freak out over the fact that the warning label says to avoid contact with skin- I have a mild chemical phobia as it is), I finally deemed the tub clean enough to bathe in. Of course then the water would not get hot enough and the drain is apparently loose, so the lukewarm water was slowly sinking around me.
That's when I finally cast aside my copy of Little Women and gave up on the relaxing bath scenario. I took a shower and wondered why the water could be hot coming out of the shower head, but not when filling the tub.
Now I'm settling in to finish up some articles for the college paper and accepting the fact that PBS programming probably will be the highlight of my weekend. There are worse things.

Review: Sherlock, The Great Game

Gatiss and Moffat very cleverly made sure that fans would just be aching for a second season of Sherlock and demand the BBC bringing it back next year for another three episodes of fun and adventure. But, I'll come to the cliff hanger later.
We begin with Sherlock in Minsk meeting with a potential client- it's very clear he stabbed his girlfriend in a fit of anger, no mystery there, so after correcting the man's very poor grammar (Sherlock Holmes correcting grammar, does it get any sexier? He gained major points in my literary crush scale for that one.) he takes his leave and finds himself at home, in his robe and so utterly BORED. So bored in fact that he starts shooting at a smiley face he's painted on the wall. Yet another reason Sherlock makes a bad roommate/tenant.
Sherlock: "The wall had it coming."
To his delight, however, he and John are soon off on a series of puzzles carefully crafted by an evil genius lurking on the sidelines. He gives Sherlock a time limit to solve a series of crimes and holds hostages which he will blow up if Sherlock goes over the limit.
Another great Baker Street Irregulars reference in this episode with the "homeless network" of London being used by Sherlock to gather information. The assassin called "The Golem", was hiding out among them and he was so creepy. There was something very classic Holmes about him- I don't know, he had the right level of exoticism and sinister scariness. The fight scene with the assassin in the planetarium was slightly comical and very awkward. Not my favorite fight of the series, but oh well.
John (about the homeless network):“So you scratch their backs?”
Sherlock: “Then I disinfect myself.”
Now for Moriarty. He only appears for about ten minutes in this episode and never gets any actual screen time prior to "The Great Game," but he is a major talking point for the whole series. I've heard many people that absolutely hate him, but something about him works for me.
Moriarty is like Sherlock's doppelganger, his evil twin, his yin. Sherlock, with his capacities could have very easily turned the other way and become a criminal- Moriarty is like Sherlock in an alternative universe. So, therefore Moriarty has a similar genius and also, I believe a similar level of erratic unpredictability. I think it was really inventive to see a young Moriarty that isn't so suave and collected, he's terrifying because as he says, he's changeable. His giant ego combined with his intelligence and power make him like a child. Just as Sherlock gains a kind of weird pleasure from having a formidable adversary at last, Moriarty is delighted at their meeting. He's thrilled to finally meet someone at his level and sees them as kindred spirits in a way. Oh and they threw in some more slashiness for those shippers as well. Meh. Anyway, there is some reference to "The Final Problem" in the lines I quoted last week. Here's my favorite original quotation from their meeting:
Moriarty: “Don’t be obvious, I mean, I’m gonna kill you anyway someday, I don’t want to rush it though, I’m saving it up for something special- no, no, no. If you don’t stop prying I will burn you, I will burn the heart out of you.”
Sherlock: “I have been reliably informed I don’t have one.”
Moriarty: “We both know that’s not quite true.”
I still have one question (other than 'how will they get out of this one?')- who left the phone for Sherlock? When he opens the envelope he says it's from a woman. Is that just a throw away line or Sherlock being mistaken? I doubt it, I think it might be significant. Is this man, Jim, a "sub-Moriarty," a minion, an assassin, a partner? Is there are female behind this? Moffat has promised that Adler appears next season, but would she be on team Moriarty? The 2009 film says yes, but only under duress.
Well that's my clever thought for the night. I'm still behind on homework, and I haven't done much on NaNo this weekend, but I'm still on track numbers-wise.

Day 1- NaNoWriMo

It's been going well, it will be Day 2 shortly so I thought I would write an encouraging post while things are still looking up. Today I wrote 3521 words, exceeding the 1667 word per day goal. I know there are going to be a few days this month where writing will be impossible due to mass amounts of school work, so on days I can write I'd like to exceed the word count goal as much as possible.
In my preparations for writing about murder, mayhem and an annoyingly intelligent detective, I was reading a good deal of Arthur Conan Doyle over the weekend- and of course as you look down and see my review, I ended my weekend watching the second episode of Sherlock.
I read "The Final Problem" and I can see why audiences were in a bit of an uproar, Doyle did not give a very satisfying conclusion to Holmes' story. It was ambiguous and somewhat anti-climactic. Moriarty was such a great creation as well (look at all the Sherlockian media he's inspired), kind of wasted on one brief story- though apparently in a post "The Empty House" story he is expanded on a bit.
However, his appearance does lead to this fabulous exchange in "The Final Problem":

"All that I have to say has already crossed your mind," said he [Moriarty].
"Then possibly my answer has already crossed yours," I [Holmes] replied.

This passage may be part of the wild speculation surrounding the third episode of Sherlock airing in the US next week on PBS. It certainly supports some theories, but could also be a ~red herring~ to throw our opinions in another direction, but I wouldn't be surprised if this passage is cited as evidence for certain theories regarding what's coming next season.
According to Moffat the key words for Sherlock season two are Adler, Hound and Reichenbach.

Review: Sherlock, The Blind Banker

“The Blind Banker” opens with a sequence that proves why Sherlock makes a terrible roommate. It soon proceeds with a classic Holmsian mystery: how could someone get into a high-security bank and leave a cryptic message? How can murders take place in a room locked from the inside? This leads to an adventure surrounding ciphers, smuggling and murder. There’s an awkwardly hilarious fight at a circus (chalk that up as another reason why Sherlock’s a bad roommate- he tags along on first dates).
This episode allows for the relationship of John and Sherlock to develop further and gives Martin Freeman as Watson a lot of material to work with in this installment. His moments of dealing with the domestic side of life and meeting a girl he likes is really endearing to watch. Benedict Cumberbatch also had the opportunity to show the fighting side of Holmes at several moments in this episode (he was a boxer, a sword/cane/riding crop fighter and a bit of a martial artist in the stories). He has several close calls in the episode- mostly unnoticed by poor John standing outside.
A running gag this episode was Sherlock’s going off to investigate and leaving Watson locked out of wherever he’s broken into. Throughout the stories, Watson is often following Sherlock, waiting to be let in on something that inevitably, Sherlock discovered two pages ago. In this episode it also facilitates a case of mistaken identity. A dangerous gang of Chinese smugglers believes that John is Sherlock and puts his new girlfriend, Sarah, in peril.
Call me over-analytical, but the mistaken identity seems symbolic of the way John and Sherlock are fusing into a single unit. To the criminals of London, they may as well be one person because they function together so perfectly. True, Holmes can work on his own, but not as well, and probably not for as long.
Also, Sherlock consulting the vandal doing graffiti art on the gallery and sending him on a mission could be a bit of a throwback to the Baker Street Irregulars (I just finished The Sign of Four this week, so their on my mind- perhaps why I’m making the connection).
Overall, intelligent, entertaining and it left off with a menacing mention of Moriarty lurking nearby.
Gemma Chan (from Doctor Who “The Waters of Mars”) as Soo Lin is a very sympathetic character, one we regret the fate of although we know what it will be. Paul Chequer (Eugene from the “Random Shoes” episode of Torchwood) appears as the detective in charge of the case while Lestrade is engaged elsewhere.
I was a bit disappointed that they had to cut some scenes from within the story again this week to fit the time slot more exactly. Now, will the Region 1 DVDs also be cut up because that always ticks me off- no programming slot to fill, due to an invention called *the internet* we are aware of the cut scenes- just put them on the DVD, seriously.

Another Cautionary Tale

This time about archery.
I forgot the leather bracer that I wear over my left arm to protect it from the bow string when it snaps forward and releases the arrow. I was wearing long sleeves so I thought it would be alright.
There are bad ideas, very bad ideas, extremely bad ideas, and 'holy mother... that was a terrible idea'. Clearly, this was the latter. While going through my second quiver of arrows my string hit my arm very seriously. It wasn't so bad until it was struck again, even harder when I started my third quiver.
I had to quit early because I was in so much pain, I kept flinching away from the bow when I went to fire. I was very inaccurate. It wasn't worth continuing, I would either be hurting my arm more or just being totally off.
It's already a little swollen and turning black. Alas.

Incidentally, I read "A Scandal in Bohemia" last night. It's the Sherlock Holmes story where Irene Adler appeared. Funny that one short story has lead to many many spin-offs and paralits featuring her. Moriarty was also only in one novel, but was retrospectively made responsible for some of the events of other stories.
Two weeks until PBS airs the new Sherlock, the campus lit club is hosting a viewing party, we're all going to get together, bring snacks, and watch the frist episode's premiere.

Finally a Date for Sherlock!

Sherlock will premiere on the PBS Mystery! programming October 24th. The literary society on campus wants to do a screening party for the first episode.
<"">
Once again, it seems that I cannot include a video without it devouring my sidebar.

Masterpiece Mystery Preview

I am not a huge mystery fan. My grandmother would pour over the works of Agatha Christie and others, my mother would watch Murder, She Wrote every week, but it has never been my genre. However, I've been reading some of the classic Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes stories and find I'm enjoying it.
After the conclusion of Small Island last week I saw this trailer for the new season of Masterpiece Mystery.
Very curious... "a Sherlock Holmes for our times." What little information I could scrape together from a press release makes it sound as though it is Sherlock Holmes from Doyle's novels somehow brought to modern London. I can't even speculate. What I do know is this: Benedict Cumberbatch of Small Island is playing Holmes and Steven Moffat of Doctor Who is the head writer. So wibbley-wobbley timey-whimey events could very well be occuring. They don't have the new Holmes on their schedule yet, but they also promise a new Wallander mystery this season which isn't on the schedule yet either.
They are also featuring "Six by Agatha" from May 23th through July 25th with stories of Miss Marple and Poroit, some of her most beloved characters. I'll have to call my grandmother and let her know.
Foyle's War is tonight at nine on most stations.

RSC's Hamlet

I was incredibly excited for the new RSC’s film of Hamlet. The wonderful David Tennant starred in the title role with Patrick Stewart in the role of Claudius.
The production was very solid, but didn’t completely live up to my wildly high expectations. For one horrible moment, I thought I might be tired of David Tennant, but I realized that I am actually a bit tired of Hamlet. That play has followed me for years and after heavy scholarly and theatrical study, I can never look at certain passages the same way and cannot keep from analyzing as I watch.
I must say that Gregory Doran and the cast did explore many linguistical nuances in ways I’ve never seen in a film or stage production of Hamlet before. While some aspects of the production may have lost a certain amount impact when moving from the stage to film, Doran used the film medium to its fullest being appropriately subtle with many portions of it, not trying to replicate or simply film a theatrical performance. Visually, he explored images of mirrors and then their shattering during the latter part of the play as various characters experience cracks in their sanity or perception of identity- reflecting the distortion that fills the play. The use of cameras in the film even beyond the paranoia inducing surveillance cameras around the castle, but also in Hamlet’s own attempt to record events and through an introspective video diary style conversation during some moments of soliloquy, are unique.
The first appearance of the Ghost is only shown by the reaction of Horatio and the guards, my hope was that he wouldn’t be revealed until the meeting with Hamlet late in the first act. Unfortunately he was shown later in the scene to limited impact in my opinion. David Tennant’s Hamlet starts out as a depressed, overgrown schoolboy, more full of tears than fire. I think that it was an effective approach, he is already in a contemplative and melancholy place in the first moments of the play. Once bent on revenge he gains energy and his “antic disposition” seems less like an act and more like a true affliction of his own unraveling.
The castle of Elsinore is a contemporary setting with glassy floors, surveillance cameras and two way mirrors. Hamlet is playing a role, aware that he is seldom unwatched. Before the “O what a rogue and peasant slave am I!” speech he literally tears a camera off the wall and then utters, “Now I am alone.” Tennant’s “Get thee to a nunnery” scene is charged with more than just Hamlet’s play acting, but with true hurt and feelings of betrayal.
Oliver Ford Davies as Polonius is at times mildly comical with his pontification, seeming to be a man who often repeats his little words of wisdom- to the point where other characters are mildly irritated and very familiar with nearly every lengthy phrase that escapes his lips. Sam Alexander and Tom Davey play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern play Hamlet’s school friend, and quite certainly, partners in debauchery. Patrick Stewart brings an understatement to Claudius, not playing him as a great villain, and showing believable affection for Gertrude as well as guilt over his brother’s murder. From the first time we see him, it is also easy to note that he and Hamlet have never gotten along.
Mariah Gale, as Ophelia was very curious. She starts out a little playful and with a sense of independence, a trait I’ve never seen in Ophelia. As the play continues, that small stubbornness in her proves to be more like childish bravado as she crumbles inside. Though, I wish she had shown more reaction to the “Get thee to a nunnery” scene when next she sees Hamlet. At the play, she hardly registers anything being wrong until Hamlet starts interrupting the performance and acting out.
The infamous closet scene with Gertrude was where the play truly picks up momentum. Tennant and Penny Downie gave the scene incredible intensity without going in the uncomfortable and largely unwarranted incestuous direction that so many production go in thanks to Freud and Lawrence Olivier.
Though my favorite RSC is probably still the Macbeth with Ian McKellan and Judi Dench from the 70s, I can say it definitely topped the Mel Gibson Hamlet and could be a great tool for studying the play in an academic setting, though enjoyable for pleasure watching as well.

Weekend Viewing Guide

On Saturday night the first episode of Doctor Who premiered in the US. Many fans breathed a sigh of relief- though still warming up, both Matt Smith and Steve Moffat presented an excellent first effort. The show had energy, Amy and the Doctor had great chemistry and a story arch for the whole season has already been hinted at. Prisoner Zero tells him "the silence is coming," that someone is leaving cracks in time. I've already seen the second and third episodes that have aired in the UK and can say without giving away much, that cracks appear in those episodes as well. Amy's memory also proves to have inexplicable gaps that the Doctor doesn't understand in the third episode. On the Doctor's radar in the end of the first episode something that looked like one of the cracks blipped across the screen, but I could be wrong. It was late when I was watching. When watching Who attention to detail is extremely important, but some people get carried away. I don't want to be one of those people, but it's easy to make wild speculations in a show like this.
The trailer for the fourth episode shows the return of River Song and the Weeping Angels, both pet creations of Moffat from his episodes "Silence in the Library/The Forest of the Dead" and "Blink." Rehearsals have been running late for me on Saturday nights, so the DVR and I are becoming best friends.
This Sunday was the first part of Small Island on Masterpiece Classic. I've never read the book, but find the story very interesting and would like to read it now. Masterpiece has been struggling to re-define itself and bring in a younger audience, they seem to be hitting their stride with this season's stories taking place in the early part of the 20th century around the World Wars. I eagerly anticipate what their next season will bring.

Emma Part 1

Last night PBS showed the first half of the new Emma miniseries. From what I've heard, viewers better make this one sate them for a while, the BBC is moving away from the production of "bonnet dramas" (not to be confused with "bodice rippers"). First impressions of the program:
The beginning struck me as very Dickensian. They began with the death of Emma's mother and showed the intersecting and diverging lives of little Emma, Jane, and Frank; these characters are introduced later in the original story and their background filled in. The whole style of the way the story was structured seemed very appropriate for a Dickens adaptation more than an Austen. I do think that the narrative quality works better than I expected and the fact that Knightley does the narration is better, I think, than having Emma narrate. He seems like he would be a more reliable narrator, and it moves more of the focus on his journey. However, thus far I see very little chemistry between Knightley and Emma, they seem very sibling like.
The sets are beautiful and there are many scenes showcasing the high windows and sweeping views, unfortunately many character wave rather obnoxiously out of these beautiful windows. There is quite a lot of waving in this production, some of it I doubt is appropriate given the time and given Emma's airs regarding social stature.
Some of the characterization was very well done. One of my favorite scenelets showed Mr. Elton arriving at Emma's home and giving the property a greedy once over before going down to the house. This may be nit-picky, but I do think that some opportunities to mine rich and witty dialogue from the text were missed.
I am looking forward to seeing how this production develops in the next part.

Quick Disclosure and PBS Reminders

Oh, by the way; to fully comply with the new FTC guidelines I must inform you that my reviews on this site are in no way compensated. The books and CDs are bought with my own dwindling pocket money and the television programs are viewed (usually off my DVR) in my own time on my television. If I recieve any swag, I'll let you know. I doubt it, but I'll let you know.
Quick reminders about Masterpiece Classic: They are re-airing their spectacular Cranford starring Dame Judi Dench beginning December 20th and following that they will premiere their sequel, Return to Cranford. The first was impeccable, I eagerly look forward to the sequel.
This is followed by a new version of Jane Austen's Emma starring Romola Garai. I heard the first episode isn't great, but that it does pick up. This will be followed by a re-airing of 2007's Northanger Abbey and Persuasion.
New additions to the schedule for early spring: The 39 Steps, Sharpe's Challenge, Sharpe's Peril, The Diary of Anne Frank, and Small Island.
My favorite time of the PBS programming year.
Image courtesy of PBS.org

Crazy Week

I am way behind on my NaNoWriMo word count. I knew that this would be a tough month to attempt this because of all I have going on. However, my theatrical obligations will over soon and I can (hopefully) get myself back on track.
I have not seen the conclusion to Place of Execution yet, it is waiting patiently on my DVR. This Sunday Collision premieres of Masterpiece. I am actually very excited, Place of Execution has my hopes up now. This Saturday will also see a major revelation on BBC's Robin Hood in a long flashback that somewhat contradicts some earlier parts of the show... but we'll pretend it doesn't.
Also, I have just heard of a new film about Keats! It's called Bright Star and is about the young poet's romance that inspired a poem by the same name. Not living in a major city, I must patiently wait until the little arthouse theatre in the next town gets it. This could be a while, but in the meantime I have watched the trailer and looked everyone up on IMDB. Playing Keats is the same actor that appeared as Sebastian Flyte in the recent adaptation of Bridehead Revisited- not my favorite film, it lacked many things, but the cast was quite good. I hope Bright Star doesn't dissapoint; I am uncharacteristically optomistic about it!

Endgame

I watched Endgame tonight. I am not a political person, so I really appreciated the wonderful intro by David Tennant. It was not just wonderful because DT looked very nice and was speaking in his home accent. The intro was minimal, no frills, it gave a backdrop of context for the piece.
It was a difficult story to translate to film, a lot of "table talk" scenes, but there were some very solid performances from the cast. The camera points of view added visual interest to the piece, giving impressions of justified paranoia, that the characters (especially Michael Young played by Johnny Lee Miller)were being watched- which they were. At one moment, the camera shifted focus from Mandela to the bars of his cell, highlighting his incarceration. Perhaps because of my lack of connection to the situation or the documentary feel of many scenes, but I did have trouble feeling engaged and involved in the story and the characters. That always happens to me when watching Masterpiece Contemporary. Last year The Last Enemy left me feeling much the same. I don't know if it's me or the filming styles or the script, but I can't get emotionally involved with their series'. *Sigh*

Beforehand I was watching Nature, it was their program about the wild Stallions, beautiful creatures. There were previews for some upcoming programs after the show, their new Frontline "Close to Home" about the recession is cleverly filmed in a hair salon. Everyone opens up about their problems when their hair is being washed. Maybe because it's comforting, because our parents always washed and combed our hair as children.
I love PBS. Just wanted to share that.